WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND 



for a camping-ground. The dogs were very disappointed 

 because the hunt had been interrupted, and gave vent to their 

 impatience with a loud yelping which made the echoes vibrate 

 between the steep mountains of the bay. 



A little way behind me the other sledges came on, and as 

 soon as they discovered that I was on the point of unloading, 

 they gave their dogs the bear-signal and came rushing towards 

 me at a desperate speed. We spread out over the ice in 

 different directions, but even here it was difficult to follow the 

 tracks because the snow had drifted so firmly together that no 

 marks were left after the bears' paws. After four hours' 

 tracking we had to give up the hunt, and one by one the 

 sledges returned to the camp, slowly and hesitatingly, with dis- 

 appointed drivers and disgusted dogs. 



But up above from the highest summit of Cape Constitu- 

 tion a falcon sailed down to meet us ; proud and silent, it swept 

 towards us with pointed wings restfully spread out, to bid us 

 welcome to its royal hunting-grounds. But as it reached our 

 camp and set its little cold eyes on our loads which, in our 

 eagerness for the hunt, we had thrown about in wild disorder, 

 we heard a screech which quickly turned into derisive laughter. 



It saw in an instant that this was not a meeting with com- 

 petitors, and to show its contempt it beat out in a quick circle 

 across the ice where the bears had escaped. 



We all stood near our sledges, looking after it with poorly 

 disguised envy ; for we knew that the falcon would, with the 

 same shrill laughter, in the course of a few minutes glide 

 above the big game which in vain we had tracked all through 

 the day. 



WE WRITE TO DENMARK 



April 25th. — For the last time we made a large camp. Five 

 pack-sledges must now return, so that only two men remained 

 to accompany us to Hall's Grave. 



But before the sledges left us, we were to write our last 

 letters home ; for one of the musk-ox hunters we met at 

 Anoritok, and who lived right down by Cape Seddon in the 



67 



